CR-1 / IR-1 Interview updates

[os306 103]

27 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

But, it isn't a minor point if all of us who were under the impression that our our petitions had gone straight from USCIS London to the IVU at the London Embassy are now discovering that they haven't, and that the actually had to go all the way to NVC and come back to London.  I appreciate that you don't want to quibble over what you perceive to be something trivial, but for those of us who were told that was what was happening it is not trivial.

 

The embassy's website says, "Petition approved by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in London
As soon as the Immigrant Visa Unit receives your approved petition from USCIS London, they will write to you about booking your appointment. This will be within 8 weeks of your petitioner receiving the I-797 Notice of Action."

 

And my notice of approval from USCIS London says, "Your petition to classify the beneficiary as an immediate relative of a United States citizen has been forwarded to the United States Consulate at London"

 

I am in a relatively urgent situation at the moment and have tried to expedite the process already with the IVU (am waiting for them to issue my LND number) and have gotten nowhere.  If you are telling me I actually need to be talking to NVC because that's where the hold up is, then that makes it a big deal because that has not been communicated at any point to me.

Hi The4Sands,

 

I would disregard the notion that DCF petitions go to the NVC and then back to the US Embassy in London. Everything I've seen on these forums and elsewhere (see Wuozopo's numerous posts) indicates that NVC is not involved in this process.

Edited June 24, 2020 by os306

[Robyn-n-Kris 72]

7 minutes ago, os306 said:

Hi The4Sands,

 

I would disregard the notion that DCF petitions go to the NVC and then back to the US Embassy in London. Everything I've seen on these forums and elsewhere (see Wuozopo's numerous posts) indicates that NVC is not involved in this process.

Just to help with any clarification, I was emailing back and forth with USCIS London with questions prior to the lockdown. One of their responses was this:

 

If you file the I-130 with this office, it will be completed before we close.  Once approved, it will be delivered to the U.S. Consulate at the US Embassy to process your spouse for the immigrant visa.

 

 

So that should, hopefully, clear up any confusion on if it goes directly to IVU or passes through NVC. 

[Eladnolnod 36]

Does anyone know generally how busy London was with interviews pre-covid, & what the average wait time was for NVC to schedule an interview after becoming DQ?

Edited June 24, 2020 by Eladnolnod

[MattyUKtoUS 242]

41 minutes ago, Eladnolnod said:

Does anyone know generally how busy London was with interviews pre-covid, & what the average wait time was for NVC to schedule an interview after becoming DQ?

I felt sure I read it could take 3 to 4 weeks from DQ to get the interview and the interview was typically within 3 to 4 weeks. 

 

Matt

[AllenVISAtrip 6]

45 minutes ago, MattyUKtoUS said:

I felt sure I read it could take 3 to 4 weeks from DQ to get the interview and the interview was typically within 3 to 4 weeks. 

 

Matt

I think they have to provide at least 3 to 4 weeks, so you can do your medical.

[MattyUKtoUS 242]

Just now, AllenVISAtrip said:

I think they have to provide at least 3 to 4 weeks, so you can do your medical.

Yeah. with me I got my medical the week before my embassy meeting. It was all wrapped up inside of 2 week back in 2018.  I was a K1 the first time around.  

[Wuozopo 4,285]

1 hour ago, Eladnolnod said:

Does anyone know generally how busy London was with interviews pre-covid, & what the average wait time was for NVC to schedule an interview after becoming DQ?

London Visas issued

Jan 2020– 10,856 visas

May 2020– 109 visas

 

Imagine the backlog when they open fully. 😲

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by Wuozopo

[Eladnolnod 36]

1 hour ago, MattyUKtoUS said:

I felt sure I read it could take 3 to 4 weeks from DQ to get the interview and the interview was typically within 3 to 4 weeks. 

 

Matt

Thanks. 
 

Hopefully things aren’t delayed by too much then. 

[Eladnolnod 36]

2 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

London Visas issued

Jan 2020– 10,856 visas

May 2020– 109 visas

 

Imagine the backlog when they open fully. 😲

 

Oh the joys...

 

That is grim reading.

[shallot343 116]

4 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

London Visas issued

Jan 2020– 10,856 visas

May 2020– 109 visas

 

Imagine the backlog when they open fully. 😲

 

Is there a breakdown of how many of those are K-1, H, L, or J Visas? It's possible our backlog won't be too bad if they focus only on spouse/immediate family and student visas when the resume interviews.....

[geowrian 22,335]

4 minutes ago, shallot343 said:

Is there a breakdown of how many of those are K-1, H, L, or J Visas? It's possible our backlog won't be too bad if they focus only on spouse/immediate family and student visas when the resume interviews.....

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/nonimmigrant-visa-statistics/monthly-nonimmigrant-visa-issuances.html

Check it out and see.

Edit: You want by post + visa class

Edited June 24, 2020 by geowrian

[Wuozopo 4,285]

2 minutes ago, shallot343 said:

Is there a breakdown of how many of those are K-1, H, L, or J Visas? It's possible our backlog won't be too bad if they focus only on spouse/immediate family and student visas when the resume interviews.....

Yeah, I made a spreadsheet but I’m going out. Maybe later. The point is well over 500 people per day pass through the embassy and all are wanting to get back in there. 

[S&J2013 117]

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/immigrant-visa-statistics/monthly-immigrant-visa-issuances.html
 

You can see the monthly breakdown and type on here. As London have said they’ll be focussing on Spouse visas when they resume the backlog shouldn’t be as huge as that but it will still be hundreds

[shallot343 116]

6 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/nonimmigrant-visa-statistics/monthly-nonimmigrant-visa-issuances.html

Check it out and see.

Edit: You want by post + visa class

Thanks! Literally just grabbed the data and threw it in a spreadsheet! 

 

Looks like of the 10,856, only 279 were IV (2.5%). 97%  are NIV.  The lion's share are B1/2 (50% of the total). There were only 82 CR1 and IR1s combined in Jan 2020, and 93 K1/2 (They are listed at NIV). 

 

There were a little over 2000 H, J, and L visas combined (about 19% of the total Jan 2020 issuances)

 

Which is all a very long way of saying that the backlog is going to be bad but not astronomically bad. 

[Eladnolnod 36]

1 minute ago, shallot343 said:

Thanks! Literally just grabbed the data and threw it in a spreadsheet! 

 

Looks like of the 10,856, only 279 were IV (2.5%). 97%  are NIV.  The lion's share are B1/2 (50% of the total). There were only 82 CR1 and IR1s combined in Jan 2020, and 93 K1/2 (They are listed at NIV). 

 

There were a little over 2000 H, J, and L visas combined (about 19% of the total Jan 2020 issuances)

 

Which is all a very long way of saying that the backlog is going to be bad but not astronomically bad. 

That was fast, thanks very much for that! 
 

Hopefully things will get moving in the next few weeks and we will get a better feel for how bad the backlog will be and how quickly London will be able to work through it.